I’ve had my 3DS for about a year now. When I first turned it on, I only half-paid attention to the system’s social feature, known as StreetPass. Since I didn’t have any games that took really advantage of the feature and I wasn’t planning to take the console out of the house much, I just left it disabled. A few days ago, I decided to take another look at the feature and finally turn it on. I quickly discovered that I had been missing a lot.

So, if you don’t know, the StreetPass concept is pretty simple. Basically, each time your 3DS comes near another 3DS (with the feature enabled), the two devices exchange some basic information, including your personalized Mii. The next time you turn on your 3DS, you’ll see the Miis that you collected waiting at your StreetPass Plaza gate. After welcoming your new friends, you can play a variety of games specifically designed for the Miis that you collected. By default, the 3DS console comes with a couple of games you can play with Miis, including a simple but cute RPG. Last year, Nintendo also released 4 more games that you can buy together as a bundle.

The StreetPass feature isn’t just limited to games designed for Miis. You can also exchange game information for many of the system’s other games. For example, in The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, you’ll download a copy of the other play’s character that will then show up in your game for duels.

For me, the biggest fun of StreetPass is just collecting and “meeting” more players whenever I’m out and about. I’m hoping to eventually collect Miis from all over the world. The StreetPass feature is a neat way to encourage people to go out more instead of just leaving their 3DS at home.